Amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, the majority of workers have now transitioned to working from home which comes with some benefits, but also with a key concern; cybersecurity. With more people than ever before working from home, there will likely be an increase in online security threats, making it more important than ever to take the right precautions. We have put together some cybersecurity tips to ensure that you are able to work remotely and safely throughout the current period and beyond.
Key Threats
Unsecured Wi-Fi networks – Most people working remotely will be using their own connection to the internet which is secured but there may be members of your team using public or shared connections which are more open to attacks.
Increased email phishing – With record volumes of us at home, there will most likely be an increasing in phishing and scam emails in order to target the fact that it is more difficult to check with a colleague or IT technician whether an email is genuine or not.
Personal equipment – Some people may now be working on personal laptops or mobile phones which opens up these devices, and therefore the work content on them, to attack.
Tips To Stay Secure
Start with the basics – Often the simplest techniques are some of the most effective in staying safe whilst online. Utilise strong passwords on all of your devices, and vary them across different sites so that one password does not unlock multiple sources. Ensure that you use a mixture of characters, symbols and numbers and as far as possible make your passwords totally random so that they cannot be predicted.
Antivirus software – You can never be too secure, and antivirus software is there to act as a second line of defence whilst you are online. Using extra protection available from providers such as Norton will give you peace of mind when online, and could save you from any malicious attacks.
Be rigorous – Even though you are working from home, treat your inbox and any online tools with the same care as you would in the office. If you receive an email which you are unsure about, ask your colleagues about it and investigate whether it is potentially dangerous or not. Criminals are looking to exploit the fact that you are remote and will not have the same levels of communication, therefore communicating diligently will counteract these threats.
Vary your communication methods – Emails are always a useful tool as they are so easy to use, and you can respond to them in your own time, but varying your methods of communication is a good method of protecting your self from cyberthreats. Using messages services such as WhatsApp or Signal are an intelligent way of transmitting sensitive information as the messages sent within these applications are encrypted end-to-end, making them extremely secure.